E. Salazar 

Salazar is a classically trained painter whose work draws deeply from historical, cultural, and spiritual themes. He began his formal art education at age 18 at St. Petersburg College in Florida, later moving to New York in 1984, where he spent two decades as a successful illustrator. Specializing in Biblical and historical subjects, he created more than 300 paintings featured in internationally circulated books, journals, and calendars.

Alongside his commercial career, Salazar nurtured a lifelong passion for classical portraiture. He studied under renowned artists such as Nelson Shanks at the New York Academy of Art and participated in workshops with Everett Raymond Kinstler and Max Ginsburg at the Art Students League of New York. He also learned from masters like John Howard Sanden, Richard Schmid, and Daniel Greene, while drawing deep inspiration from historic figures including John Singer Sargent, Jules Bastien-Lepage, and Diego Velázquez.

Salazar’s portraits include public figures such as Vanessa Williams, Rick Fox, Mark Martin, Gato Barbieri, and Lionel Hampton. His work has been exhibited at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York and is held in private and institutional collections across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

As an educator, Salazar has shared his expertise through art history lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has been recognized in Marquis Who’s Who for both artistic achievement and educational impact.

Now based in Texas, Salazar is currently focused on painting Western and Native American subjects. He is represented by The Charles Morin Fine Art Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas, and his work is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas. At the heart of his practice is a message of respect—for personal identity, cultural beauty, and shared humanity. Through his paintings, he seeks to inspire reflection on our collective dignity and the enduring importance of peace among all people.